“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, Thou wilt not despise“ (Psa 51:17).
Why does God want us to have a broken heart? It is possible for one to be unaware of what is in one’s heart. For example, an apple may be shiny and golden in colour and very attractive to the eyes; but if we cut it into pieces we may find to our shock that it is rotten and maybe even breeding worms. Similarly, unless our heart is broken we may never know what is in our heart – although God knows everything in it.
God led the people of Israel through the wilderness for a long period of forty years, to make them know what was in their hearts (Deut 8:2). The sad story is that they failed to know what was in their heart, and fell into temptation. Most of them, therefore, perished in the wilderness. If we are to follow God all the way, we must know what is in our heart; for this, a broken and a contrite heart is very essential.
Peter did not know what was in his heart – till he denied the Lord. Being full of self-confidence he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death” (Lk 22:33), but soon afterwards he denied the Lord! If we do not seek to know what is in our hearts, like Peter, we too may fall into temptation.
When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, he said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa 6:1,5). When we see God lifted up, we will realize how lowly or small we are in the presence of God.
Job was indeed a man of God. In fact, God Himself gave a testimony about him to Satan (Job 1:8). Such a man as Job still needed breaking – see Job 16:14. God broke him, to make him finally say, “God maketh my heart soft” (23:16).
May the Lord help us to have a broken and a contrite heart so that we may know what is in our heart.
God led the people of Israel through the wilderness for a long period of forty years, to make them know what was in their hearts (Deut 8:2). The sad story is that they failed to know what was in their heart, and fell into temptation. Most of them, therefore, perished in the wilderness. If we are to follow God all the way, we must know what is in our heart; for this, a broken and a contrite heart is very essential.
Peter did not know what was in his heart – till he denied the Lord. Being full of self-confidence he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death” (Lk 22:33), but soon afterwards he denied the Lord! If we do not seek to know what is in our hearts, like Peter, we too may fall into temptation.
When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, he said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa 6:1,5). When we see God lifted up, we will realize how lowly or small we are in the presence of God.
Job was indeed a man of God. In fact, God Himself gave a testimony about him to Satan (Job 1:8). Such a man as Job still needed breaking – see Job 16:14. God broke him, to make him finally say, “God maketh my heart soft” (23:16).
May the Lord help us to have a broken and a contrite heart so that we may know what is in our heart.
– Taken from Morning Manna – Thoughts for Daily Devotion
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